


Promises, Promises

by ShoutIntoTheVoid



Series: The Spy Who Loved Me [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Divergence, Darcy Lewis is BFFs with The Avengers, Darcy is a bamf, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, SHIELD Agent Darcy Lewis, follows up until Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-03
Updated: 2015-04-12
Packaged: 2018-03-21 02:52:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 13,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3674700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShoutIntoTheVoid/pseuds/ShoutIntoTheVoid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy and Clint are in the thick of it in New York when HYDRA takes over SHIELD. While defending their territory, Darcy gets shot. While she is in intensive care, everyone, especially Natasha, faces the reality that she might not make it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Breaking a Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy!   
> this may or may not turn into a series depending on how this story goes.

Darcy should have been prepared. She had been a SHIELD agent for three years now. Her SO was fucking Hawkeye, and she had trained alongside Black Widow and Captain freaking America. Darcy should have been prepared for the bad guys, the faceless men that she had been taking down for years now. But no one was prepared for these villains. When SHIELD fell, it crushed everyone inside, Darcy included. 

Steve and Natasha were at the DC base, but Clint and Darcy had stayed in New York, the “beehive” as Darcy called it. All of the Avengers had apartments in the Stark Tower, and after a few spysassins, a super soldier, and Norse god put in a good word for her, Darcy acquired her own quarters at the tower, commuting to SHIELD when need be. 

She and Clint had just so happened to be in the SHIELD HQ when shit hit the fan. Nobody was prepared when HYDRA attacked. 

“On your left birdbrain!” Darcy shouted before pulling the trigger on her standard SHIELD issued firearm, hitting a HYDRA operative between the eyes. He used to be their mail guy.

Clint, without turning his head, quickly pulled an arrow from his arsenal and shot it to his left, hitting an assailant in the abdomen. “Copy. They’re starting to approach from all angles.” He informed her, his jaw set tight.

“Move to position Nightingale.” Darcy responded, a moment later she backed up until her back was connected to Clint’s. She quickly reached for her second gun, as Clint picked up two guns from his belt, mimicking her outstretched arms, a firearm in both hands. They began firing out rounds all over the room, hitting HYDRA agents with every bullet that left their barrels. When the room was clear save for Darcy and Clint they unloaded their empty magazines and reloaded with new ones before exiting the room into a hallway, guns at the ready.

As they moved through the building, weapons aimed to kill; Darcy had to physically push the thoughts of Natasha and Steve from her head. She couldn’t bear to think how much of the attack had rained down on DC, couldn’t even bring herself to think about what would happen to Steve, to Natasha. Clint was leading them through HQ, and Darcy could tell that he was trying just as hard not to think, just act. He was in such a daze that he didn’t quite register the HYDRA operative who appeared at the top of the stairs they were across from.

He raised his gun and aimed it at Clint’s head. “Clint move!” Darcy yelled as Mr. HYDRA pulled his trigger. Clint ducked, just barely missing the hit. Darcy had rolled down an adjacent hallway to the left, and Clint rolled to the right, both of their backs to the walls. Darcy’s breath was ragged as she slowly peered her eyes over the edge of the wall to see a host of more HYDRA gathering at the floor above them, peering with their guns over the railing. A shot rang out, and Darcy moved back behind the wall.

“There are more,” She said to Clint, “Maybe fifteen guys.”

“Guns blazing?” Clint asked panting. Not a second after Darcy nodded, they both turned out into the hallway shooting rounds almost aimlessly at the crowd of former SHIELD agents now rushing their hiding spot. Like bowling pins they fell to the ground one by one, not getting a shot in edgewise.

“Backup should be here any moment.” Clint shouted over the sound of gunshots and bullet shells dropping to the floor. 

“Let’s fucking hope so!” Darcy responded, still shooting as the remaining three assailants approached. She shot one, and then another, but the last bad guy was too quick, and a sharp pain in her chest told Darcy that she had been shot. She let out a cry of pain as Clint took out the final guy before turning toward the now collapsing Darcy. 

“Darce!” he shouted catching her head as she fell, “hold on alright.” He gathered her into his arms and moved them so that they were out of sight in the apex of the hallway. Darcy clutched the growing red stain that was blooming on the front of her crisp white button down blouse, her breathing growing more irregular. 

Well this was ironic.

About two months ago, before Steve and Natasha had gone to DC on assignment, all of the Avengers, Darcy, Jane, and Pepper were lounging in the Tower common area. Everyone was talking about their individual horror stories of how they’d been kidnapped, injected with some serum or another, or had been shot and severely injured in the line of duty. It was pretty amusing to Darcy, like super hero Dr. Phil.

Everyone had something to say. Tony talked about Afghanistan, Bruce about the Gama-radiation and being on the run from the government. Pepper talked about the whole extremis incident, and Jane explained her most recent trip to Asgard and the whole alien energy thing that had parasitically attached to her body. Steve talked about war, and Thor talked about being dead for like, a minute. Clint went into detail about Budapest and even Natasha glazed over the Red Room. Everyone had their share of scars, but Darcy. When it came to her turn to talk, she told them about New Mexico, and about London, but in those stories, she had never been injured that badly, or had something enter her body, or lost someone she cared about. 

She hadn’t even been shot, even in her almost three years of service, the worse she’d gotten was a few scraped knees in comparison to everyone else. Clint joked that it would happen eventually, and everyone laughed but Natasha.

“Promise me.” She had said, eyes hard as stone, “Promise that you will not let yourself be foolish enough to get hurt.”

Darcy’s eyes went wide and she agreed to Natasha’s terms.

If only Natasha could see her now, she would be furious. She had broken her promise, and Natasha didn't bode well with people who go back on their word. 

“Darcy!” Clint yelled, snapping her back into the present, “you have to keep your eyes open, can you do that for me?” 

She hadn’t realized that they were drifting closed in the first place, but she made extra effort to keep them open now. 

“Stark and Thor are taking out the rest of HYDRA here, just focus on the sound of my voice Darce, when JARVIS tells them that the building is secure, Tony is going to fly you home, alright? Bruce will be there waiting to patch you up.” Clint rambled.

Darcy’s breathing was becoming more pained. A few minutes later, she registered the cold metal of Tony’s suit cradle her in his arms, as he flew her back to the Tower. She wasn’t sure how, but she managed to keep her eyes open until they got to Bruce. 

The last thing Darcy remembered before black spots clouded her vision was Tony’s metal fingers squeezing her hand, his voice soft as he reassured her that she was in good hands. Bruce was shouting something that sounded vaguely medical.

“Come back to us kid.” Tony commanded before darkness eclipsed her surroundings, and she slipped into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun Dun Duuuuunnn!!!!  
> what will happen next?   
> stay tuned!


	2. The Phone Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint has the job now of calling Natasha to inform her of Darcy's injury.

When Clint had gotten back to the Tower, Thor in tow, he was more sweat than man. He rubbed his face with a deep sigh before plopping down onto his couch like deadweight. He would clean up and leave to go to the hospital where Darcy was being treated by Dr. Banner, but first, he had to call Natasha. 

He knew that they had feelings for each other, even if they were too stubborn to admit it. It was obvious to him. The way Nat would linger after she had pinned Darcy during training, and stare for the briefest moment into her blue eyes. The way Darcy would curl up to Nat during movie nights, even when the couch was empty. They were both in too deep, and had no clue. 

It was why Natasha was the first on his list to call. 

Clint picked up the phone and dialed Natasha’s secure line, the phone not even ringing once before she answered. 

“Clint! Thank god!” Natasha answered, “DC has been intense the past few days. SHIELD doesn’t exist anymore, Steve is in the hospital (because he fell off a fucking Helicarrier) but he should be up and fighting for freedom in the next day or so. How bad is New York looking?” She asked.

“Nat.” Clint said softly. “Darcy’s been shot. She’s in intensive care with Banner. It’s looking bad.” 

The line went silent for a few seconds, the gentle static making Clint cringe. 

“I’m on my way.” She stated coldly before hanging up. 

Clint tossed his phone to the side, figuring that Stark had informed Pepper and Jane about the situation. He slowly got up, and headed to his bathroom. Stripping and turning on the shower to hot, images of Darcy laying on the ground, eyes fluttering, hair matted with the blood starting to pool around her, flooded his mind as the hot water rained down onto the top of his head. The warmth of the water doing nothing to calm his nerves. 

The last straw, his breaking point, was when he looked down and saw blood on his arm from moving her body. He punched his shower wall with rage, breath uneven. He took a few notes from Bruce’s book and focused on his breathing until it became even once more. He washed the blood off of his skin, and exited the shower.

After drying off, he slipped into a loose pair of jeans and an old black t-shirt. 

Heading down to the hospital ward of the Tower, he braced himself for the worse. 

Sitting in the waiting room was Jane, who was sobbing quietly into Thor’s chest. A few chairs over was Pepper, her sad eyes looking down at a mug of tea in her hands, a futile attempt at keeping a level head. 

Clint found Pepper to be the best option and sat down next to her. She lifted her head up to meet his face, sending him a sad smile in greeting. 

“Where’s Tony?” Clint asked softly.

Pepper sighed, “Down in his lab. Coping.” She replied. 

“Do you know anything?” Clint asked looking down at his hands.

“Before he left, Tony said that she had taken an unlucky hit. Got her right in between her lungs and her heart, grazing both organs.” Pepper inhaled sharply, “They weren’t punctured, but grazed enough to cause internal bleeding. When she got here she was going into shock.” 

Clint nodded. He would have laughed at the fact the Darcy would be the one person to take such an impossible hit, but nothing about this was funny. 

He wrung his hands together anxiously, remembering the first time he trained her. 

“You have to be aware.” He had said, “So many things are going to be happening all at once, and you have to be able to pinpoint everything all in a matter of seconds. It could be the difference between life and death.” 

She looked skeptical as he handed her a blindfold. “Are you going to Mr. Miyagi me?” She had asked.

He laughed, “something like that.”

He had grown fond of her quickly. She was funny and smart, but she had a lot of strength and un-tapped potential for greatness. When Steve started to join in on the training days a few months later, she could almost go toe to toe with himself, now she would have Captain America to spar with.

Months after that, Natasha began to join in on the fun.

The four of them shared the bond of those training sessions, and became close. Clint remembers though, the moment she solidified her space in his heart.

It had been six months after she began training, and they had gone on her first mission with him. Being the asshole that he is, he got himself hurt.

He was bed-ridden for a week, and on some heavy drugs that knocked him the fuck out. One day though, he woke up in the middle of a nightmare, the drowsiness from the drugs wearing off, to find Darcy sitting in the chair next to him asleep, in the same clothes she had been wearing when he had last seen her a few days prior. 

Maybe he was too hopped up on oxy to notice, but she had stayed with him the whole time. Kept him company. Never left his side. 

He would do the same for her now.

Clint drifted off, exhausted from the last few hours of combat.

He didn’t wake up until a few hours later, finding Jane, Thor, and Pepper gone from the room. 

Standing by the window of the operation room was none other than Natasha, the Black Widow herself. She looked awful, clothes tattered, hair unruly, with a few scrapes here and there. Her hands were balled into fists at her side. 

“Nat.” Clint said softly, causing her to turn to face him. Her eyes were red, and he realized that she must have actually flown the plane herself to get here. She stared at him blankly before walking over to where he was sitting, and parking herself in the seat next to him.

She let out a long breath, and he placed his hand comfortingly on her knee. She eclipsed it with her own, squeezing it once.

They stayed silent, now was not a time for words.


	3. Mechanic Sister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony was not a crier. So what he didn’t understand, is why he was down here, in his glorified metal shop, silently crying over a pile of scrap metal?

Tony was not a crier. Not even a little bit. The last time he actually sobbed was when his parents died twenty some odd years ago and he had to assume the leadership of Stark Industries. When he thought he lost Pep those long months ago, he got the closest he had been in a long time to crying, and that was Pepper. 

So what he didn’t understand, is why he was down here, in his glorified metal shop, silently crying over a pile of scrap metal?

When Bruce had finally put Darcy into a medically induced coma for surgery, Tony let go over her now limp hand and exited the room, giving Banner and the medical team space to do their job.

He called Pepper first, simply saying ‘Darcy’s been shot’ before hanging up, knowing that she would be down to the medical bay in a matter of minutes. 

He also knew that he had to get Dr. Foster. While Darcy no longer worked with Jane, they were still very close and she needed to know. 

“JARVIS,” Tony called, “please tell Jane to come down to medical and stress the urgency.”

“Yes sir.” The AI responded. 

Within the next five minutes, Jane and Pepper both emerged through the waiting room doors with a look of panic on both of their faces.

“What happened to Thor?” Jane inquired, assuming that the injured party was the prince of Asgard. 

“It wasn’t Thor.” Tony stated.

“Will Darcy be alright?” Pepper asked immediately after. 

“Darcy?” Jane asked confused.

“Jane,” Tony began softly, as if talking to a child, “Today, HYDRA attacked SHIELD from the inside. Darcy and Clint went into work today as normal, but when they were attacked, were forced to go in guns blazing without any time to suit up,” Tony sighed deeply, “and Darcy was shot. The bullet tore right through her, but it must have been shot to curve, because it grazed her heart and lung. She is in surgery right now with Bruce.” 

Pepper was the first to gasp, “Oh my god,” she whispered, “poor Darcy.” 

Jane was very quite, and merely swallowed the information given before sitting slowly in one of the many chairs outside the waiting room. She didn’t unravel until Thor arrived later.

“I’m going to the lab.” Tony told Pepper, who merely nodded, with a tight lip.

“I’m going to get some tea.” She responded. 

Originally when he got to his lab, he went with plans on making something for Darcy for when she recovered, figuring that it would take his mind off of the situation.

He was in the middle of tweaking her Taser so that it could fire longer distances and so that the voltage could amplify five times its current max, when he started thinking about the first time he made Darcy a Taser.

It was a few weeks into her staying at the Tower, when he finally realized that she was the same Darcy that ad Tased Thor upon his arrival. 

He found her, a month or so after his epiphany, inside his lab, fiddling with tools. 

“Whatcha doing double D’s?” Tony asked with bravado. 

“Trying to trick out my Taser. The gun works, and I am a pretty good shot, but there is something satisfying in watching a grown man writhe around on the floor after he tried (and failed) to grab your ass.” 

“Two things Betty Sue, one,” he began, holding up a finger, “remind me never to mess with your assets. Two,” he held up another finger, “how do you know your way around a welding torch?”

She laughed, “My dad taught shop, I picked up a few tricks. I also spearheaded the robotics club at my high school. I’ve been tinkering with toys twice as dangerous as this for over half my life.” She smirked at Tony’s dumbfounded expression. 

Once he had recollected himself from his initial shock, Tony barked, “Budge over.” And sat at the seat next to her, picking up tools and explaining how they could make her Taser half the weight it was now. 

This became a regular thing with them.

Tony loved having Bruce as his science bro, but Darcy was definitely his mechanic sister. 

Once the memory of their time together had passed, Tony’s eyes were damp with unfallen tears. This kid better pull through. 

Tony decided that Darcy deserved better from him than for him to run away from impending grief into the confines of his lab. He put down the tools in his hand and looked over to the clock. It had been three hours since Darcy went under.

Tony went upstairs to join the others. When he got up there, everyone, save Clint and now Natasha (when did she get here?), had left. 

Clint looked up at Tony and nodded in greeting. Natasha continued to be very interested with the white wall in front of her.

Tony sat down a few chairs away to give the pair some space. 

Ten minutes went by before Pepper reemerged with a fresh cup of tea, having finished the first. “Hey.” She said sympathetically as she sat next to Tony, placing her head on his shoulder.

“Jane fell asleep. She was crying herself into a stupor. Thor carried her back to their apartment, saying they would be back tomorrow morning.” Pepper informed the room. 

“I think I’m going to stay here.” Clint answered back, Natasha nodding her head in agreement. 

“Me too.” Tony said quietly.

“Well then I guess I’ll be getting four blankets and neck pillows.” Pepper responded lightly with a warm yet tired smile. 

She set down her tea to retrieve the sleeping accouterments and rationed them out upon her return. 

Everyone eventually drifted off after that, except Tony. 

He didn’t sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> poor Tony.   
> next will be Jane and Thor.  
> stay tuned.


	4. Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane remembers Darcy before SHIELD

At five in the morning the next day, an alarm went off in Thor and Jane’s bedroom. Thor reached over a hand and pressed it off. He was already awake. Jane stirred next to him, looking at the clock on the wall and confirming that it was morning.

Silently Jane crawled out of bed, digging through her drawer to find a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt that she had borrowed from Darcy back when she was her intern, but never returned. She tied her hair up into a loose bun before tuning to look at Thor. 

He was already dressed in a plain t-shirt and jeans. 

Silently they walked out into the hall and headed for the waiting room. They took the elevator down twenty floors. 

In that time, all Jane could think about was her intern. 

Even after all this time of Darcy being an agent, in Jane’s eyes, she was still was the same intern who took care of her the way a mother would. She was still that 21-year-old undergrad, who was the only applicant to her internship. 

Jane remembers the first time she met Darcy, she was annoyed by the fact that she wasn’t even studying the correct type of science to be her intern. But, only a few short hours into their professional relationship, Darcy made it anything but professional. 

And in the best way possible. 

It was late at night and Jane’s blood was mostly Red Bull by that point. She hadn’t eaten anything all day, and was now shaking from exhaustion. But, she knew nothing of self-preservation and continued to work, even though she was clearly not in her right mind. 

Jane had been interrupted by a bright green muffin in front of her face. 

“Pistachio,” Darcy had explained, “I thought you might want to have some real, solid food.”

Darcy had placed the muffin right on top of her paperwork, and right next to it, a glass of warm milk. 

“There is a cot in the corner of the room I’ve set up for you. Blankets, pillows, the whole shebang.” Darcy continued. 

“But I have to-“ Jane protested motioning to her unfinished work.

“Science will be there in the morning. Your cognitive brain function might not be if you keep this up.”

Jane smiled softly at the memory. Darcy had been taking care of her ever since. She was her best friend. 

Thor reached a hand over, and took Jane’s firmly in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. 

“Lady Darcy is a fierce warrior with a strong heart. She will find her way through this ailment. I have faith in her strength. You should too.” Thor said this squeezing Jane’s hand again. 

With this the elevator dinged and opened to the medical floor. Both Thor and Jane exited hand in hand, making their way to the waiting room. Once there they found Clint asleep on Natasha’s shoulder, but the Black Widow was fully awake staring blankly at the window to the surgery room. Pepper was on the other end of the chairs, wrapped up in a blanket, and snoring softly. The seat next to her was empty save the blanket and pillow, and Jane thought that it must have been Tony’s seat. 

Right as the thought passed her mind, Tony emerged with two steaming mugs in his hands. He nodded to the couple as he entered, and silently handed a mug to Natasha before taking his own seat. 

Jane took this as her queue to sit, so she took the seat next to Pepper, letting Thor take the seat next to her. 

After a few minutes, Clint woke up with a cat-like yawn, and Pepper soon followed suit. Now the six of them sat in silence, getting up only to get a coffee or tea but returning swiftly after. 

At 5:30 am, almost nine hours after Darcy had gone into her surgery, a tired and disheveled looking Bruce Banner emerged from the room. Everyone got to his or her feet, but Jane was the first to speak. 

“How is she?” She asked, voice strained. 

Bruce sighed, “She’s stable but still critical. We had to put her into a medically induced coma in order to proceed. We stitched up the affected organs and patched up the lacerations she acquired from the bullet ripping through her. Luckily there was no shrapnel. She lost a lot of blood though, and we had to give her a transfusion. We can’t know for sure how the surgery went though, not until she comes out of that coma.” Bruce relayed.

“How long might that be?” Clint piped up.

“We have to slowly reduce the fluid that is keeping her under, until it is completely out of her system. I would say it might be a few days.” Bruce responded. 

“But you think she will be alright?” Tony asked.

“Right now, if she comes out of that coma unscathed, then she should be on the right track to making a full recovery.” Bruce says. “I’m going to go take a shower and a nap. If you want to see her you can go in one at a time.”

“You see Jane, my love,” Thor squeezed her hand, “She is strong. She will fight.”

“Yeah,” Jane replied, “she better.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my idea of what this medical bay is, is that an entire floor of Stark Tower is just a private hospital.


	5. Ten Minutes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce needs to calm down.

Bruce walked away from the group to the sound of the Tower’s inhabitants fighting over who should get to see Darcy first. When he entered the elevator, everything went silent. 

Bruce Banner was a PhD, but he was also an MD. He had performed medical assistance on people from all over the globe, in the poorest parts of the world. He had seen some grueling stuff. But, nothing had shaken him as much as this surgery had, and he once had to amputate a foot in Uganda, with nothing but a bone saw, candles, and a needle and thread. 

The procedure itself wasn’t that difficult. It was pretty standard in comparison to some others he has had to perform. But the knowledge that this patient wasn’t just a normal patient, but Darcy, made it even more unsettling. 

Besides Tony, Darcy was the only one to treat him with zero caution. She didn’t try and tip toe around him, didn’t try and spare his feelings. And there she was, unconscious and bleeding. 

Bruce had never been one to squirm at blood. Being a doctor meant that he saw his fair share. But when Darcy was brought into the surgery room, warm and sticky from her own blood; crimson staining her blouse, Bruce had to repress the urge to vomit. 

He found his way into his apartment shower, letting the warm water fall hard onto his back. He tried not to think.

After his shower he threw on clean clothes and headed into his bedroom. 

Bruce was tired, but more so mentally than physically. He was planning on taking a nap, but in the moment all he could think about was Darcy. He wanted to clear his mind, so instead of heading for his bed, he made a b-line for his closet, pulling out a yoga mat. 

He rolled out the mat before heading to his bathroom, and pulling out a packet of incense. Once he had set up his serene space, he sat on the mat cross-legged, and lit the incense one by one.

Letting the vapor cloud the air, Bruce focused on his breathing. Using his training, he focused on pushing out the images of Darcy beaten and bloodied, and instead replaced them with the memories he had of her whole. 

While he sounded hopeful in his diagnoses of her recovery, in reality he wasn’t so sure. He wanted to give his friends some hope. But really, the odds of someone surviving and remaining the same person they were after a shot like that, well they were very slim. 

Bruce could feel himself going green, so he decided to pinpoint specific memories.

Bruce focused on the image of Darcy with fresh baked lemon squares for his birthday, because she was the only one who knew when it was. How? He still didn’t know.

He focused on Darcy Tasing a frat boy at a bar because he had said something unflattering about the Hulk. 

He focused on the herbal teas she would bring him when he was having a bad day, and the conversations they would have when no one else had time to listen. Because Darcy made time. 

She was family, and while it wouldn’t be the first time he lost someone, it would hurt just as much if not more. 

Bruce began to only focus on his breathing now, the memories he had with Darcy still to painful to think about, even the happy ones. 

Nothing was working, and all Bruce could see when he closed his eyes was Darcy bleeding out from the inside. 

Bruce could feel his hear quicken in pace. This was not going to be good. 

He swiftly stood up and extinguished the incense before making his way to the Hulk-proof panic room that was attached to his bedroom. 

Bruce made his way inside before plugging in the security code, which locked the door from the inside. Only a non-hulked-out Bruce could open the door. 

Bruce felt his skin boil and his muscles contract as he transformed into the Hulk. 

The Hulk let out a cry of anguish before collapsing into a sitting position on the floor. 

He leant his head on the wall beside him and let out a deep, Hulk sized sigh. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elsewhere in the Tower, the group was still arguing over who should be the first to visit Darcy.

“I should be first!” Jane exclaimed, “I’ve known her the longest!” 

“Well she is me mechanic sister! And, I’m the one who took her here!” Tony shot back.

“I’m her SO, I fought alongside her when this happened! I need to see her-“ 

Clint was cut off by an enormous roar that came from a few floors up.

“JARVIS,” Tony began, “can you get me footage of the Hulk Cell?”

“Yes sir.” The AI complied; projecting a screen with an image of the Hulk slumped over in his cell on a wall. 

“Poor Bruce.” Tony sighed, realizing how hard this surgery must have been on him.

“If we take ten minute shifts, then all of us will get to see her.” Pepper said finally. “It doesn’t matter who goes first. Just somebody go.” 

The room was silent. 

“I think Foster should go first.” Clint said. “She has known Darce the longest.”

Jane smiled softly at Clint before whispering, “Thank you” to him. She let go of Thor’s hand and walked inside the room. Everyone else found another seat, now content with waiting his or her turn. 

Bruce had been the one to see her first, technically, and look at the state he was in. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to wait, then they would have time to prepare themselves. 

Who knew ten minutes could feel like hours?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next will be Pepper!


	6. Orange Scones and Pistachio Muffins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pepper finally gets her turn to visit Darcy, and admits a few things to her while she has the chance.

Pepper was on her third cup of coffee when it was finally her turn to visit Darcy. Setting down her mug on one of the waiting room side tables, Pepper straightened her posture, holding her chin high when she walked into the hospital room.

Darcy lay eerily still in her bed. Pepper was so used to seeing her always up and about, fidgeting when she sat in a position for too long. 

Her light blue hospital gown was open slightly, and the sterile bandages wrapped carefully around her chest and abdomen peeked through. Wires and tubes were tangled up all around her, one of which led to an IV, and another to a heart monitor, which beeped softly and steadily in the background. Her brown locks fanned out over her pillow messily. 

A vacant chair was poised next to the hospital bed, and Pepper slowly made her way to sit there. She placed one hand in her lap, and used the other to firmly grasp Darcy’s hand, cautious of the tubes attached to her. 

After a moment of silently staring at the young woman’s unmoving form, Pepper took a deep breath in, slowly exhaling, before beginning her speech.

“I know that there is a very slim chance that you can here me right now.” Pepper began. “Still, I wanted you to have heard this from me, incase I wont have a chance to tell you when you’re awake.

I’m accustomed to taking care of people. For the longest time, that was my job, taking care of Tony. I’m so used to accommodating for everyone else, making plans, checking allergies, likes and dislikes, all that jazz.

When I was very young, maybe nine or ten, my mother died from breast cancer. I had to be the one to step up and take responsibility for not only my younger sister, but for my father too. Ever since my mom got sick, I had to put so much on my shoulders.

Don’t get me wrong, I love caring for people, I do it well. But it gets hard y’know. 

And then you came along Darcy, and you saw all that I did for people. Not only did you notice, but you also appreciated. And then, for the first time in what seemed like forever, you took care of me!” Pepper wiped at her now tearing eyes.

“Remember a few years back, when the Avengers where out saving the world somewhere, and we were here, trying to keep things normal? Remember how I got sick? And you, Darcy, you made me chicken soup from your grandma’s recipe, and took over all of the appointments I had for the day and made time to watch all three Lord of the Rings movies consecutively because you somehow knew, in the way you just know some things, that they were my favorite sick day films to watch?”

Pepper chuckled at the memory.  
“I remember those things Darce. You are so kind, and I don’t even think you realize how loved and appreciated you are here. But you are. So much.”

Pepper squeezed Darcy’s hand for emphasis.

“I know you still might not be able to here me, but I’m going to go out on the limb that you might so I’m going to give you some advice.

You deserve happiness Darcy. I wasn’t quite sure I knew how happy I could be until I finally got together with Tony, even though he is a complete ass sometimes, he makes me happy. 

You deserve that. I know it’s scary, especially in your line of work, but I know that if I’m right and you feel at least a fraction of what I feel for Tony for Natasha (and I am right, I’m always right.) then you need to go for it. I promise you she feels the same.”

Pepper squeezed Darcy’s hand one more time.

“She isn’t taking this well. None of us are. I’m sure you have it worse, being the one with a hole in your chest, but all of us are suffering right now not knowing if you’re going to make it.

Natasha hasn’t even spoken once this whole time.

If you can here me right now Darcy, and process what I’m saying, then I need you to fight for your life. I know it’s hard, and it’s selfish of us to ask so much of you, but we can’t live without you Darce.” 

Pepper removed her hand from Darcy’s and soothingly stroked a line up and down her arm, the way Darcy sometimes subconsciously did when she was helping someone. It was a mothering thing. 

“A world without Darcy Lewis is not a world I want to live in.” Pepper muttered. 

The next few minutes of her rationed time with Darcy had been filled with Pepper informing Darcy of all of the gossip that she had missed out on the past day or so. 

When her time had elapsed, and Pepper had switched places with Thor, she had gone up to the kitchen, figuring that everyone might be feeling a bit peckish. She pulled out her Stark tablet and sifted through the folder titles “Darcy’s Recipes” until she had landed on the perfect one. 

Something Darcy had passed onto Pepper in their three years of cohabitation was the habit of stress baking and a slew of Darcy’s personal childhood recipes, to be used only in comfort emergencies, which was how Pepper perceived the situation. 

A few hours later, Pepper was heading back down to the hospital level with a few trays of Orange zest scones and pistachio muffins. 

Upon her arrival, she rationed out the baked goods to all of the waiting room’s attendants feeling a warm pang in her chest as they scarfed them down with fervor. 

Pepper was just about to sit back down and enjoy her own creations when a loud crash was heard. Everyone turned toward the doors to the waiting room, eyes wide, to find a panting Steve Rogers in the doorway.

“I just got Natasha’s note, and got here as soon as I could.” He said, out of breath as if he ran here from DC. “How is she? How’s Darce?” 

Everyone in the room gave him a pained expression in response. Pepper walked over to him with her tray of confections. 

“Here Steve,” she offered him a scone, “you’re gonna need one.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN  
> DUN  
> DUUUUUNNNN


	7. Coffee with Clint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Steve cant visit Darcy, he and Clint devise a plan to talk to Natasha about her current behavior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just FYI every bit of medical stuff that i talk about is probably inaccurate.

Just as Pepper had handed a confused Steve a scone, Tony walked out of the hospital room with a frown on his face. 

When he noticed the new addition to the group, he called out, “Capsical, how nice of you to join us.” 

Steve frowned, usually when Tony called him names he wore a shit-eating grin, and an air of general douchebagery. But Tony didn’t even crack a smile, not even a smirk; his face looked expressionless in general and his eyes were tired. So it was bad.

“I was in the hospital myself,” Steve calmly explained, “but I woke up a few hours afterwards to find Natasha gone, and a letter explaining that Darcy had been shot by HYDRA in her place.

I came as soon as I could.” He sighed. 

Pepper was quick with glazing over the details of Darcy’s injury (which still made Steve a bit pale), and the system of visitation they had settled on. 

“Well then can I see her?” Steve asked hopeful.

Pepper was about to agree, as everyone else (besides Natasha, which she had been meaning to talk to her about) had already visited at least once today, when Bruce walked through the doors to the waiting room. 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea Steve.” Bruce interjected. “Darcy has had a lot of stimuli today and any more, it might overwork her subconscious, and then she will take even longer to come out of that coma.” 

“Dr. Banner, I heard you were the one to perform the surgery, I’m glad, Darcy trusts you.” Steve said, outstretching his hand to comfortingly pat Bruce’s shoulder. “So,” he began, “if I cant see her now, then when?”

Bruce thought about it for a minute before responding with, “Tomorrow morning.”

Steve nodded before taking the only available seat next to Natasha. 

“Hey Tash,” he said, “thanks for the note.”

All Natasha did was nod once in confirmation of the fact that she had heard him, or as a way to brush off his actions, Steve wasn’t sure, but he was more than a little perturbed by this silent but deadly thing Nat was giving off.

Steve looked over to Clint, who just flashed him a sad expression before nodding in the direction of the elevator. 

“I could use some coffee.” Clint said.

“Yeah,” Steve replied, “me too.”

Both men stood up and headed toward the elevator. Once inside, Steve asked Clint, “She isn’t taking this well is she?”

Clint snorted cynically, “That’s a fucking understatement.” 

“Has she been to see her at all?” Steve asked with his brows tightly knit together.

Clint nodded a no; “She hasn’t even said a word since she had been here. I was there, I held her in my arms all bloodied, I trained her, been with her almost every day for the past three fucking years, and I cant stop talking about her, can’t stop crying about it.” Clint breathed deeply, “But she, she cant even say a fucking word, can’t even bring herself to look at Darce.”

“You don’t think she can handle it.” Steve supplied.

“It’s not that she can’t deal. She just doesn’t want to. She’s trapped herself up in herself and she wont come out, no matter how hard anyone huffs or puffs. But she needs to, or else she will regret it for the rest of her life, no matter if Darcy comes out of this or not.”

“So it’s that bad huh?” Steve frowned.

“Banner tried to give everyone a little hope by making it off to be better than it was, but part of my job is reading people, and I read that he doesn’t even know what’s going to happen.” Clint explained. 

They were silent for a minute after that, the elevator filling up the silence with a ding that they had made it to their destination. The doors opened to the kitchen area and Clint walked over to the coffee pot, Steve close in tow.

It was a k-cup style machine that Stark had remodeled to be voice activated to make a specific brew depending on who was asking. 

Clint ordered his coffee, and Steve followed suit. Now they waited. 

Steve interrupted the growing silence, “You know, I’m the reason we have those movie nights.” He said. 

Clint scrunched up his brows, “What do you mean?”

“After our first sparring session, Darcy had made a reference to The Princess Bride, ‘as you wish buttercup’ she said, and after noticing how confused I was, told me I had to see that movie.

She made me get a list together, of all the movies people had referenced that were after my time. The next day, I overheard her telling Jane and Thor that she was going to throw a movie night because she wanted to continue on some tradition she had with her last housemates that, 'Every Thursday was movie night' and for them to ‘spread the word’

I confronted her later about why she didn’t just tell them that it was to help me catch up on pop culture, she said that it was because she knew that they would make jokes about me being from the 40s and that she knew that, while I wouldn't ever say so, it bothered me. So, she made up an excuse. ‘Besides,’ she said, ‘the team needs to do some team building, and training isn’t for everyone’”

Steve smiled at the memory.

“She is something else isn’t she?” Clint had responded.

“Yeah.” Steve’s voice drifted off. 

“Well, we should head back.” Clint said, taking a sip of coffee before heading to the elevator, Steve in tow.

On their way down, Steve turned to Clint, “We need to talk some sense into Natasha. She doesn’t have to say anything, but she needs to listen.” He said firmly.

Clint nodded in agreement, but when the doors to the elevator opened to the waiting room, the boys found Nat and Pepper’s seats both empty.

“Well,” Clint said, taking his former seat, “it looks like our jobs are being done for us.”

“Looks that way.” Steve replied before sitting down and taking a sip of his own coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next few chapters are going to be about Natasha!!!!!  
> STAY TUNED


	8. A Dash of Pepper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pepper convinces Natasha to open up, and gives generally spot on advice.

When Steve and Clint were out of the room, Natasha was almost glad. She knew that Steve would want to talk, and talking to him about this wasn’t something she wanted to do. 

Natasha just wished that she could make it clear that her not talking didn’t mean that she was unfeeling. In fact she was the opposite; she felt too much too fast and it was overwhelming. Overwhelming to the point that she hasn’t been able to move in over a day she has been through. It’s not that she doesn’t want to see Darcy, she physically can’t move because she is so distraught. 

When Pepper closed in on her, it was not wholly unexpected. 

“Natasha, would you mind come and help me clean these dishes?” Pepper had asked motioning to the slew of platters that Pepper had brought the baked goods on. 

Silently nodding, Natasha stood and began walking off the foot that had fallen asleep before grabbing a stack of dishes from Pepper and following her to the Elevators, which they traveled up to Pepper’s apartment. Once there, Natasha had dumped her stack into a sink in Pepper’s kitchen. Pep filled the dish-cluttered sink up with water and soap before grabbing a sponge and scrapping off a plate. 

“If you wouldn’t mind,” Pepper said nodding her head in the direction of a dish rag, “you can dry.” 

Natasha nodded silently before grabbing the rag and taking the first dish in her hand to dry. She knew what Pepper was trying to do, but it was useless. Natasha would speak when she wanted to. 

“I know you don’t want to talk Natasha, and I get that, I truly do, but you are going to listen to me, and here what I have to say.” Pepper told her. 

Natasha almost smirked. Pepper knew that she knew how to kill her a thousand different ways with every appliance in this kitchenette, yet she still talked to her with such authoritative gusto. It was amusing. 

“I know that you are upset about Darcy,” Pepper began softly, “but, we all are. You, however, are different than the rest of us. We love Darcy like the little sister we never had. She is our family. But, you Natasha, you love her in a very different way. You are in love with her, and she is in love with you.”

Pepper laughed at the wide eyes Natasha was shooting her, “I know that even if you wont admit it to yourself, you see it, the way she looks at you. And, we all see the way you look at her.” 

Natasha looked down at her shoes.

“The way I see it,” Pepper says as she passes Natasha another dish, “is that no matter what happens in that hospital room. If she survives or not, if you don’t go see her, you lose.”

“What do you mean?” Natasha replied, her voice causing Pepper to be taken aback. 

“Well,” She passed another plate to Nat, “if Darcy wakes up, and finds out that everyone has been to see her but you, she’ll be heartbroken.” Pepper looked away from Natasha and focused on scrubbing the dish in front of her. “And if, god forbid, she doesn’t wake up, and you haven’t been to see her, you will never forgive yourself.” 

Natasha thought this over for a moment. Pepper was right (Pepper was always right) she did need to see Darcy. The thought of her sitting their in the bed all alone with wires and tubes sticking out of her, made Natasha blanch, but she knew that she needed to. Tomorrow, after Steve, Natasha would visit Darcy; it was set in stone in her mind. 

“Also,” Pepper drew Nat back, handing her another dish, “you need to talk to Steve. Or to Clint. Or even to both it doesn’t matter as long as you talk about it to someone. Talk about her to someone.”

Natasha finished drying the plate and put it on the stack with the others. “I could talk to you?” she offered.

Pepper smiled sweetly, “You could, I wouldn’t stop you, but I don’t know as much about your relationship as they do.”

Natasha lowered her eyes, once again finding her shoes to be very interesting. 

“Thank you.” Natasha said before leaving the dishes and Pepper behind. She headed to the elevator and took it down to the waiting room. When the doors opened, She heard Tony barking at all of the patrons. 

“Bruce told me to tell you all to go back to your apartments. You won’t be able to visit and he says that there is no chance that she will wake up today, so everyone go home, I’m kicking you all out of this floor until tomorrow.” Tony yelled waving his hands in a shooing motion. 

Jane and Thor got up together, and entered the Elevator first. Steve stood up to go, but Natasha called out to him.

“Wait,” she said startling Steve, “You and Clint should come up to my room. I’m in the mood for a Barbra classic.” She motioned for them to follow her. 

“Yeah,” Clint agreed, “I could go for Barbra.” He got to his feet and joined Natasha, Steve shortly after him.

“Which movie where you thinking?” Steve asked as they walked to another Elevator.

“Darcy’s favorite.” Natasha answered.

“Funny Girl.” Both Clint and Steve responded at the same time, sharing a small smile of victory as the doors closed. They would need to send Pepper a thank you basket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kat Dennings is Jewish, therefor it is my headcanon that Darcy is also Jewish, which means that she would have extensive Barbra Streisand knowledge. This will be explored in the next chapter.


	9. Russian Doll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit gets personal

~ 1 year ago ~

“Well fuck me sideways on a baby unicorn!” Darcy shouted as she ended her phone call and plopped exasperatedly down onto the couch in the common area floor. 

While Steve had blushed beside her in account of the image of fucking Darcy sideways, Natasha smirked knowingly before taking a sip of coffee.

“Call with Fury go alright?” Natasha said through a smirk. Darcy rolled her eyes before crashing her head into Natasha’s lap, causing her heart to skip a beat.

“Uggghh, so bad! He is one annoying eye patch. I think it’s a Barbra night.” Darcy sighed. 

“Ooh, a Barbra night eh?” Steve asked cringing, “hasn’t been that bad for a while. So what’s the prescription; we talking Yentl bad?”

Darcy shook her head, "Worse."

“The Way We Were?” Natasha offered, “Could it be that bad?”

“Even worse,” Darcy said, “He called me ‘the intern’ again. It’s a Funny Girl type of night.”

Horrified gasps filled the room. “It hasn’t been a Funny Girl night since Coulson came back from the dead!” Clint said from the doorway. “I’ll go make the popcorn.”

The movie was halfway through, and Clint was sitting cross-legged on the floor, a bowl of popcorn in his lap. Steve was on the comfy chair, legs hanging off the side. Darcy and Natasha were on the love seat, popcorn in Natasha’s lap, making Darcy reach over every time she wanted to grab some, and every time her arm would gently caress Natasha’s skin, causing her to blush. Their thighs were close enough to touch each other under the quilt Darcy had brought from her room. Natasha's face felt flush.

She would smile every time Darce would sing along with Babs; her heart racing when Darcy rested her head onto her shoulder with watery eyes. Natasha knew that one day she would have to address the butterflies she got in her stomach whenever she was with Darcy or thought about her. 

People in her line of work didn’t get the luxury of love or normalcy. Something could happen to either one of them at any moment, and Natasha couldn’t deal with that. Not yet at least.

~ Present Day ~

Now, Natasha had to deal with it. 

The end credits were rolling for Funny Girl, and Natasha wiped away tears from her cheeks. 

“I need to tell you guys something.” Natasha admitted turning the TV off. 

Both Clint and Steve stayed silent, allowing Natasha to speak. 

“I love her.” Natasha admitted. “I love her so much, and now she might be gone forever. She won’t know.

She is so funny and charismatic and weird. But, she’s also caring and devoted and sweet. She does so much without asking for anything in return, and every time I started to feel something for her, it was just a reminder that I am nothing that she should ever want.

It has taken three years of being her friend to unlearn the habit of closing in on myself whenever people come into my life, because I’m too scared to lose them. 

Clint, for the longest time, you were my only friend, and now, I have an entire family. 

And the reason for all of these wonderful things that have happened to me, is sitting in a hospital bed, not knowing that I love her more than I’ve loved anything, because I wasn’t here to stop her getting hurt.” Natasha finally broke down, resting her head in her hands. 

“Tash, none of this is your fault.” Clint soothed, placing a hand on her shoulder, “you saved the world because you were in DC and had the strength to release government secrets, including your own, to the public because you knew it was the right thing to do. That takes balls that I don't think I would have had.”

“Darcy would be so proud.” Steve agreed. “Furious, but proud. This is what she does for a living. She knew the risks and she took them because she wanted to help people. Don’t diminish that because you want to blame someone, and if you are going to blame someone, blame HYDRA and not yourself.”

“Thanks guys,” Natasha replied, “I just don’t know what I would do if she doesn’t make it.”

“None of us do.” Clint replied.

Natasha suddenly made a face of realization before standing up and heading to her room. After rustling around in her closet, she emerged with a Russian doll the size of a cantaloupe.

She set it down on the coffee table before staring at it for a moment.

“What is it?” Steve asked.

“Its obviously a Russian doll Cap.” Clint snarked, causing Steve to roll his eyes. 

“Three months ago, Darcy gave this to me.” Natasha explained, looking intently at the doll. “It was right before an away mission and she told me that I wasn’t ever allowed to open it unless she was in a dire situation.”

Natasha looked over the doll once more before opening the first layer, then another, and another, until the last doll opened with a loud pop, revealing an old fashioned tape recorder. 

“Do you want us to-“ Clint trailed off, pointing to the door. Natasha nodded her head no before pressing play on the audio recording.

Soft static filled the air before a familiar nasal voice drowned out the silence. 

“Hey Nat, if you’re listening to this, something bad must have happened. If it’s by your scale, then it means that I might not be able to tell you this in person, but I thought you should still know anyway.

You see the thing is, I love you. With all my heart and soul, you are it for me. My stomach does belly flops every time I see you and my heart skips a beat when I think of you, and my lungs catch in my throat every time we touch. Honestly you are doing something fucking weird to my insides.

I get sick to my stomach when I think of you hurt, and when you're away, all I can think about is when I’ll get to see you again.

If I’m still alive when you listen to this, then please know that I love you, and if you don’t feel the same that’s cool, we can stay friends, because I cant think of my world without getting to see and talk to you all the time. 

And if you’re wondering why the Russian doll, it’s because it reminds me of you. All of these beautiful layers trying to keep you from what’s in the center. But, with enough determination, you can get to the treasure.

You may not know it, but you are just as beautiful on the inside as you are outside. You're the real treasure.

I love you Tash, and I don’t think I could ever stop.”

Her words ended and static filled to room once more before the tape ended and the silence became deafening. 

All Natasha could think about before she fell asleep was how Darcy Lewis loved her, and how Darcy Lewis needed to wake up soon, so that Natasha could kiss the woman she loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think!  
> Next will be the big visit!


	10. Paying You a Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha finally visits Darcy

Steve walked out of the hospital room with weary eyes the next morning. 

Now it was Natasha’s turn to visit Darcy. She would be the last one of the group, so she might get a little extra time. Less because everyone else had already had a turn and more because Natasha could kill them with her thighs alone and nobody wanted to test her. 

Taking a deep breath, she entered the room. Natasha’s eyes went wide in horror as they landed on Darcy’s pale form. 

Slowly, she walked over to the chair beside the bed before cautiously taking a seat. 

“I listened to the message inside the doll Darcy. I believe it all, every bit you said about loving me, I believe. I know it’s a bit out of character for me to accept love so easily, but Darcy, you make it so easy.”

Natasha looked down at her fidgeting hands, “There is one thing I don’t believe, however, and that’s that you don’t know how I feel, because you must know, Darce, just the extent of how completely and utterly crazy in love I am with you.

From the moment you cursed in Russian after taking a hit in training, I was intrigued by you. I looked up your file (not for the first time actually) and saw that even though you were fluent in five languages, Russian wasn’t one of them. Did you know that I thought you had said those things to make fun of me?” Natasha laughed, “How was I supposed to know that your grandmother was born in Russia?

Ever since then I kept a close eye on you, trying to figure you out like a puzzle. It’s part of my training, ingrained into me from the beginning, to always have an upper hand.

But I couldn’t figure you out, I still cant, and it only makes me want to try harder, to understand what is going on in your beautiful head. 

You’re a marvel, Darcy Lewis, a masterpiece. 

The more I dug into who you are as a person, to try and figure you out, the more I fell in love with you. 

I would pay extra attention to the things you did when we were together, your quirks. Everything just made you that much more endearing. 

And you had to know I was doing it!” Natasha exclaimed before placing a tentative hand onto Darcy’s cheek, stroking it lightly. “Because what really made me fall hard for you, was what I saw when I took the time to look. Your heart is beautiful. You don’t look at me and see all of the red I have in my ledger. You don’t look at me and see a killing machine. Even Clint see’s me that way sometimes. But, you have never looked at me and seen the spikes on a rose stem. You look at me and see red petals and smell the sweetness that seldom anyone ever has.”

Tears started to form in Natasha’s eyes and her voice hitched, “Darcy I love you because you aren’t afraid to be close to me. To touch me when we sit next to each other, or to comb your fingers through my hair during a long day. 

Darcy Lewis I love you, because you are everything that I think is beautiful in humanity, everything that I vowed to protect when I made the switch to the good guys. 

You are kind to those who don’t deserve it and are accepting of those who shouldn’t be accepted. 

And I love you so much Darcy Lewis.” Natasha said, tears streaming down her face. She buried her face into the side of Darcy’s thigh.

She muffled the cry, “Please don’t leave me.”

A few moments passed like this, before Natasha was pulled out of the silence by a loud beeping sound coming from the monitor attached to Darcy’s pulse. It was spiking up and down at a rapid pace, angrily crying out a warning of a rise in heart rate. 

“Help!” Natasha yelled. “Bruce! Nurse! I need help!” Natasha screamed. 

Luckily Bruce was in the waiting room and came sprinting into the room.

“Nurse!” he yelled, “Her vitals are dropping!” 

A slew of nurses rushed in and began assisting Bruce in trying to calm Darcy’s body down. 

“Natasha you need to leave!” Bruce called.

Natasha quickly exited the room and collapsed into a chair in the waiting room. Her eyes were red and her cheeks tear-stained. Jane let go of Thor’s hand a few seats over, and moved to sit in the empty spot beside Nat. She put a hand on Nat’s shoulder before pulling her into an embrace.

Natasha was never one for public displays of emotion, but this was not an average situation. She slumped into Jane’s embrace, allowing the smaller girl to comfort her.

A shout came from the hospital room, “We’re losing her!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger!   
> Stay tuned!  
> Muahahaha


	11. Hearing White Walls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy hears everything in her coma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, everything medical, consider inaccurate.   
> Enjoy!

Darcy Lewis could hear everything. 

When she first was brought into a coma, her subconscious was taken to a sterile room, with white floors and walls. There were virtually no furnishings and the walls were barren. 

In the middle of this room was a comfy chair; it reminded her of something her grandfather had in his living room. She walked up to the seat, and experimentally reached out to caress the leather. Tentative fingers brushed over the armrest before Darcy decided to take a seat. 

She sat deeply in the chair, reclining her head back. 

But, as soon as she had gotten settled, a booming voice echoed throughout the room, like the surround sound in the rec room back in the tower. Darcy quickly recognized it as Jane’s.

After a few words, Darcy realized that she was crying, and gripped tightly onto the armrest, wanting nothing more than to reach out and comfort her friend. Darcy helplessly curled into herself, holding her knees to her chest and facing the left side of the room. 

She could hear everything, and she listened to all of her friends talk to her as if no one was watching. They kept telling her to fight and to make it out, but Darcy didn’t even know where she was.

Tony had just finished talking when Darcy began to feel sleepy. She gently closed her eyes and drifted into dreamless slumber.

When she awoke, it was to the sound of Steve’s voice. 

“They call me the hero Darce, but I’m nothing special. You, Darcy Lewis, you are a hero, and I am so proud of you.”

Darcy smiled at Steve’s sweet words. It was nice to feel appreciated. The next voice she heard belonged to Natasha. 

Darcy blushed at the thought of her. That voice alone was enough to make her go all weak at the knees. 

And so she heard everything, every last bit Natasha had said about her love for her. When Natasha began getting more passionate with her words, and her voice grew pleading, Darcy stood up from the comfy chair and began searching for the sound of the voice, hoping to find Natasha so that she could kiss her senseless and then smack her for not thinking she was good enough. 

Darcy searched for a door, but found that the room had none. No way in and no way out. She began banging on the walls.

“Let me out!” she shouted, “Let me out!”

Darcy began to feel woozy with each smack to the wall.

“Nurse!” someone yelled (was that Bruce?), “Her vitals are dropping!”

“Let me out Bruce!” Darcy yelled. 

“Natasha you need to leave!” Bruce called.

“No!” Darcy called, banging on the wall, “Don’t leave Tash!” Darcy cried. 

A shout came in response, “We’re losing her!”

“No you’re not! I’m right here!” Darcy yelled exasperated. 

All of a sudden Darcy felt the room shake, like on of the earthquakes back in New Mexico. She yelped, covering her head with her hands. 

~ Outside ~

“Clear.” Bruce called, before bringing the defibrillator to Darcy’s chest, being weary of her wounds. 

~ Inside ~

Darcy felt another shake.

“Clear.” She heard Bruce yell again.

The room underwent another powerful shake just as Darcy attempted to stand up. She stumbled and fell, hitting her head against the wall. This caused her to slump against the wall, eyes closed. 

She lay in that position for a while. 

“It looks like her heart rate is stable. I’ll go notify the others.” She heard Bruce reply before falling into another dreamless sleep. 

~ Outside ~

Bruce exited the hospital room, and before anyone could speak, he held up his hand to silence them. 

“She is going to be fine. Darcy still had some of the fluid we used to knock her out in her system, so while her heart and brain were ready to wake up, the rest of her body was not, and she began going into a small cardiac arrest due to shock.

We have just removed the last dose of fluid from her IV, so what ever is left inside her right now should work its way out of her system in the next few hours. With any luck, she might just wake up.” Bruce smiled at his own news. 

“So that’s good then?” Clint asked.

“She is doing exceptionally better than I could have ever hoped. Darcy is a true fighter in all aspects I suppose.” Bruce confirmed. 

Natasha smiled softly at the news. Darcy would be alright. 

“Well,” Tony said dramatically as he stood up, “I guess I’ll go down to the shop and finish that Taser. It seems like it might be needed sooner than we thought.” 

With the hopeful note that Darcy could be awake within the day, everyone got up and made their ways back to their individual apartments to shower and eat. Well, everyone besides Natasha, and surprisingly Bruce. 

“Hey Doc,” Nat greeted, “would have thought you would have packed it home like the rest of them.”

“Nah,” Bruce answered, waving off her comment, “I would miss the hospital smell too much.” He joked. 

Natasha smirked.

“Y’know, she is one of the few around here who treat me 100% like any other person. She doesn’t skip around me because of the other guy.” Bruce pointed out casually.

“Hmm,” Natasha replied, “she does the same for me. Even though I have the ability to kill her thousands of ways with basic home appliances alone. What does that say about her?” She asked.

“That she has no self preservation instincts?” Bruce joked. Natasha chuckled. “And,” He said, nudging her leg with his knee, “it says that she is one of the good guys.” 

Natasha smiled, “If she is a good guy then, and she thinks that we are the good guys, then what does that mean for us?” She asked. 

“It means,” Bruce answered, “that we shouldn’t disappoint her.”

~ Three hours and twelve minutes later ~

Natasha was sitting in the chair beside Darcy with her head in her hands, snoring. She had fallen asleep (well, she didn’t get much sleep the night before) while on Darcy watch. 

“Natasha?” someone called.

She startled awake, assuming a defensive stance, when she glanced over at two, wide blue eyes.

“Darcy?” Natasha answered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAHHHH   
> Darcy is awake!!!  
> yay!  
> Stay tuned for some more fluff!!!!


	12. Promises Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy wakes up and see's her friends for the first time in days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO MUSHY

Darcy looked around the room in a daze. She was lying in a hospital bed, attached to all sorts of wires and monitors. Sitting next to her was Natasha looking like a mixture of confused and pleasantly surprised.

“Natasha?” She asked, still trying to figure out hat was going on, she began to sit up to get her bearings when she felt a sharp pain her chest as it strained against her bindings. “Ah!” she cried out.

Natasha leapt to her feet to help Darcy adjust herself so that she was more comfortable. 

“What happened?” Darcy asked, groggily, “The last thing I remember…” And then it hit her, HYDRA attacked, her friends and colleagues shooting at her to kill, a shot to the chest, a white room…

“HYDRA.” Darcy whispered nodding her head in confirmation, tight-lipped. Natasha hovered her hand over Darcy’s before resting it firmly on hers in comfort. 

A few minutes of comfortable silence in that position, Natasha stood up, “I’m going to get Bruce, he needs to check on you, and besides,” she smiled sweetly, “the others will probably want to know the good news.” 

Natasha left through the doors, and from the other side, Darcy could hear sighs of relief and cheers of joy. She smiled to herself. The memories of all the things she heard from them came flooding back in waves, and by the time Bruce had walked in, she had tears welling up in her eyes.

“Are you in any pain?” Bruce asked concerned. 

“Well, yes,” she laughed, wincing again in pain, “but this has nothing to do with it.” She said motioning to her unfallen tears. “Don’t worry Bruce. It’s nice to see you.”

Bruce gave her a watery smile, “Back at you Darce. You had us all in quite a state.” He began to check over her bandages and taking her vitals. 

“So I heard.” She chuckled as he pressed down lightly on her abdomen. “That tickles. So, did Big Green come out to play?” She smirked.

“Unfortunately so,” he smiled tightly, “didn’t do much but take a nap.”

“A man after my own heart.” She chuckled again, and Bruce couldn’t help feel his heart swell at hearing that sound again, something he wasn’t sure would happen those long days ago. 

“You feeling up to seeing anyone else today?” Bruce asked, putting away his medical supplies.

Darcy smiled softly, “Yeah, let ‘em all come in.”

A few minutes after Bruce had left the room, a slew of super hero’s, scientists, and CEO’s made their way into the spacious hospital room. 

“Hey guys.” Darcy said.

“Darcy!” Jane yelled before pushing her way to the bed before hugging her abdomen, making sure to avoid her bandages.

“Hey Janey Jane.” Darcy said warmly, bringing a hand up to stroke her hair. 

Each resident of the tower individually greeted Darcy with smiles of joy and relief. Tony had presented Darcy with a brand new Taser, saying that it had almost tripled the capabilities of the last one. Darcy accepted the gift with much excitement. 

Pepper had dropped offered Darcy a plate of her favorite chocolate chip blondies. Darcy’s initial excitement was stifled by the realization that Pepper had been stress baking, because of her. Usually it was because the Avengers were fighting a hoard of aliens and everyone left in the tower was worried sick about their survival. That means that Pepper had to have been just as worried about Darcy. 

She hazily remembers some of what Pepper had said to her (she would never tell anyone about that) so she knew that she had been worried. They all had been. 

Steve arrived with a cream colored rose with orange tips. A note was attached to it saying ‘Get Well Soon’. “I remembered that you said your favorite rose was the Carnival rose, so I thought you might like this.” Steve said, handing her the flower before rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Darcy smiled in thanks. 

Clint came forward and placed a large lavender colored teddy bear on the bed in her lap. He gave her a cautious hug in the same fashion as Jane. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.” He warned.

“You got it boss.” She whispered back.

After Clint backed away, Thor emerged, “Lady Darcy!” he exclaimed, “ I had much faith in your recovery! I have brought you this; it is a healing stone my mother gave to me for emergencies. I thought it might help you in your recuperation!” He bellowed before handing her a beautiful stone that looked like purple opal. 

“Thank you Thor.” Darcy smiled. 

Natasha silently stepped forward, staring at Darcy from the foot of her bed, looking eager to say something, but reserved at the same time. 

Pepper must have picked up on this as she hollered, “Alright everyone, why don’t we give Darcy some space!” She exclaimed, ushering the group out.

Once they were all gone, Natasha moved to sit on the edge of Darcy’s bed. 

“I heard what you said, while I was under I mean, I heard everything.” Darcy explained. 

Natasha’s eyes widened, “how did you…?” Darcy shook her head.

“I’m not sure, all I know, is that I am in love with you, and apparently, you are in love with me. So,” Darcy said boldly, “What do we do now?” 

Natasha pondered the words for a moment, before leaning forward, her face inches in front of Darcy’s. “This.” She answered before closing the space between them. 

The kiss was sweet and soft, but not tentative. Natasha pulled away; resting her forehead on Darcy’s to take a breath before slowly but surely meeting their lips once more. This time the kiss was passionate, all of the pent up emotion and frustration moved from Darcy’s lips to Natasha’s. 

“Well,” Darcy said as they broke away again, “I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on that all this time. Unfortunately I think that’s all I got in me for right now, I cant exactly move very much, what with the chest wound and bandages and all.”

Natasha nodded before silently standing up to leave. 

“What! Don’t go! Come, lay with me, this bed is bigger than the bed in my apartment.” Darcy called.

“Ok.” Natasha smiled before finding her way onto the bed, curling up to Darcy’s side. 

“Does this mean that we are girlfriends now? Because I think I would like that.” Darcy asked.

“I think it does.” Natasha confirmed. 

“Y’know,” Darcy pointed out, “when I’m off bed rest, I demand we go out on a real date. I’m talking the whole shebang, nice dinner out where we have to wear fancy clothes, dancing (you’re probably a great dancer), and after three of those dates, really hot sex. Has anyone ever told you I’m a tender lover?” Darcy punctuated her statement by suggestively wiggling her eyes, causing Natasha to giggle. 

“Alright.” Natasha agreed with a grin.

“To what? The date or the lovemaking?” Darcy asked.

“Both.” Natasha laughed.

“I’m sleepy.” Darcy stated.

“Then go to sleep, I’ll be here when you wake up.” Natasha said.

“You promise?” Darcy said through a yawn.

“I promise.” And Natasha intended to keep it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not the end!  
> Stay tuned for the last chapter next!  
> I'm thinking of making this a part of a series so let me know what you think.


	13. A White Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a nice day for a white wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter! Enjoy!

~ 1 year and 6 months later ~

Today was the day! The wedding day to be more precise, and everyone was buzzing with excitement. 

Tony had spared no expense, the venue was elegant and lavish, the food was catered from the most important names in the culinary world; he even got Celine Dion to sing the song for the first dance. 

Oh, and they were in a Stark property in Venice Italy. Pretty fucking cool.

Darcy was in the bridal suite, sitting at the vanity applying makeup. She couldn’t believe that this day was finally here after over a year of planning. Everyone was going to look great (especially Natasha because hot damn! Have you seen her in that dress?) And everything was going to be perfect, she could feel it, and Darcy had a talent for being able to good sense things (again reference Natasha). 

Darcy was applying another coat of mascara when Jane burst through the door. 

“I’m looking for the bride!” She explained. 

“I’m over here!” a voice called from across the room behind a curtain. “I’m just trying to get into this dress!” Pepper exclaimed, walking into the line of sight, her custom Vera Wang hanging loosely off her shoulders (Custom made meaning that Vera actually came over to consult and personally design this dress just for Pepper, again something Tony splurged on.) “Can someone help zip me up? And get these buttons clasped? I know at the time silk buttons sounded classy and timeless, but right now they are a pain in the ass.” Pepper said exasperated.

“This sounds like a job for The Maid of Honor!” Darcy exclaimed, posing with her hands on her hips. She walked over to help zip and button. When Pepper was completely fitted in her dress, Darcy gasped at her reflection.

Her hair was pinned up in an elegant up-do, and her makeup was simple and sweet. The dress fit her perfectly, and everything together brought tears to Darcy’s eyes. 

“You look stunning Pep!” Darcy gasped. “Tony’s gonna cry, I’m betting money, maybe I could get a pool going with the other bridesmaids. Speaking of which, Jane what did you need?” 

Jane smiled, “Everyone is seated, you’re on in five minutes.” Jane walked out of the door to join the rest of the bridal party at the altar.

“You ready?” Darcy asked.

“As I’ll ever be.” Pepper exhaled. 

Darcy walked Pepper to her queue, before going to join the rest of the bridal party. 

When Pepper eventually walked down the aisle, Tony did cry, and Darcy made a cool $100. Natasha stood next to her, wearing the same green bridesmaid dress as Darcy. 

They smiled at each other and linked pinkies while Pepper read her vows. She called their romance “a story of love at first sight, even though it took them years to realize.” 

When Tony read his vows, it was Darcy’s turn to cry, resting her head on Natasha’s shoulder and thanking Odin for waterproof makeup. 

Tony cleared his throat before beginning. “I never believed in love as a kid. My father went through so many women behind my mothers back, and she went through so many men, that I always saw marriage as a piece of paper, a legal document not unlike a tax return or a W-2.” Everyone laughed, “You, Pepper, you made me believe. You accept me for my many faults. You love me, in spite and because of, my flaws. I don’t own you; I can’t put you on a shelf, or drive you around to show off to people, because you are your own person. To me, you are worth so much more than anything I own, and if I had to give it all up for you I would. A few years ago, I thought I was going to die, and instead of telling you, I made you an omelet. I thought Agent died, and he almost did. You almost died, and I almost would have right after because my heart wouldn’t have been able to take it. And, most recently, we thought someone very close to us was going to die, and that for me was the last straw. Life is too short, and for our line of work it’s even shorter. So, I want to be able to call you my wife for as long as possible, as long as I have, as long as we have left on earth; I want to spend it with you. Because I love you Pep, and I promise to never stop.” 

After his vows there wasn’t a dry eye in the joint, and soon after they were proclaimed man and wife.

The reception was amazing. 

Natasha and Darcy were sitting at their table, accompanied by Thor and Jane, and Steve, Clint, and Bruce. 

Darcy grabbed Nat’s hand and squeezed it lovingly as Celine Dion sang Tale as Old as Time (apparently Tony’s pick) as Tony and Pepper shared their first dance. 

Darcy and Natasha had been dating for over a year now, and had been living together for months. It was bliss. They went on missions together, worked together and played together. They still weren’t sick of each other; in fact, they just fell more deeply in love.

When Celine had called for all of the other couples to join on the dance floor, Jane and Thor were the first to jump up and begin to slow dance. 

Surprisingly, before Darcy could even ask (she usually had to beg Nat to dance with her in public) Nat was standing up, offering her a hand. 

She smiled, and they walked onto the dance floor hand in hand. Darcy rested her head on Nat’s shoulder, and one hand on her back. They swayed to the music the band was playing (Darcy noted it as ‘So This is Love’ from Cinderella, Tony must have a secret Disney thing). 

Natasha hummed contently, “I love you so much Darce.” She whispered into her ear.

“I love you too Nat, I always will.” Darcy replied. Just as she did so, Clint walked by and slipped something discreetly into Natasha’s hand.

“I’m glad you said that, because I’ve been meaning to ask you something.” Just as she said so, Natasha gracefully got down on one knee, revealing a blue velvet box.

“Nat, what are you…” Darcy began confused.

“Darcy Lewis,” Natasha said slowly, opening the box to reveal a ring. It had a silver band with a Sapphire stone as the center, one diamond to either side of it, “will you do me the honor of becoming my wife.”

At this point, the entire room was silent, everyone watching the scene unfold. Darcy clasped her hand over her mouth in shock. 

“Yes!” She screamed, “Of course you dummy!” She said through tears as Natasha slipped the ring onto her finger before standing up and bringing Darcy into an embrace.

They were wrapped in each other’s arms before Natasha broke away and kissed Darcy passionately on the mouth. The room cheered, whoops and hollers could be heard from Clint and Steve.

“Pepper is gonna kill you.” Darcy joked. 

“Doubt it,“ Natasha smirked, “She was in on it, everyone was.” 

“They are all so dead.” Darcy deadpanned. 

“You love them too much.” Natasha giggled. 

“No, I love you.” Darcy said, pecking Natasha on the lips.

“You promise?” Natasha asked.

“I promise.” Darcy confirmed, before eclipsing Natasha’s lips with her own one more time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was super fluffy!  
> That's the end I hope ou liked it!  
> Might write a few one-shots  
> might write another whole story.  
> will be apart of a series!


End file.
